Traveling block



Aug. 11, 1942. 1 A. R. MA1E- 2,292,451

TRAVELING BLOCK Filed Aug. 14, 1941 If [Wm afar. #06057 E. #4279,

Patented Aug. 11, 1942 7 TRAVELING BLOCK August R. Maier, Oil City, Pa.,assignor to Oil Well Supply Company, a corporation of New JerseyApplication August 14, 1941, Serial No. 406,891

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in traveling blocks particularlyadapted for use in hoisting in connection with the drilling of wells,and has in view to provide a traveling block capable of free travel inthe restricted confines f a well derrick.

In such derricks, the distance between the derrick floor and the crownblock often provides inadequate clearance for the traveling block and anattached well casing section. Further, when the casing sections arestacked upright in a corner of the derrick, as is the practice, thetransverse area within the derrick is materially decreased andfrequently crowds the traveling block in the upper portion of itstravel.

It is a prime object of my invention to provide a traveling block ofminimum thickness and height, capable of withstanding heavy loads, andincluding adequate provision for the necessary reeving for well drillinghoisting operations.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingwherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a traveling block embodyingmy invention, said section being indicated by the line I-I of Fig. 2;and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof taken on the line IIII of Fig, 1.

Referring to the drawing, the body of the traveling block comprises apair of side plates or cheeks 2 of conventional outline, joined at theirupper ends by a hood 3 through a connecting bolt 4, and joined at theirlower ends by a clevis pin mounting a clevis 6. Side guards 2 extendbetween and space the cheeks 2 to complete the body of the block, saidguards being apertured in the usual manner for accommodating the lines.Intermediate the bolt 4 and pin 5 is provided a pair of sheave pins 1and 8, said pins being spaced apart longitudinally of the block body asufiicient distance to enable the close nesting overlapping dispositionof the respective sheaves carried thereby.

By such means, it is possible to decrease the overall length or heightof the traveling block and at the same time provide a strong durabledevice. As shown, the sheaves 9 of equal diameter have hubs ll)containing bearings ll mounted on the respective sheave pins, and thesaid pins 1 and 8 are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to theoverall radius of a sheave plus the radius of a sheave hub 10, to whichdimension is added a small amount of clearance, In addition to theforegoing decrease in height, the

bolt 4 and hood 3 are disposed immediately above the upper extent of thesheaves 9 on pin 1, and the clevis 6 and pin 5 are likewise disposedimmediately below the lowermost extent of the sheaves 9 on pin 8.

Therefore, in comparison with a block having the same hood, clevis anddiameter of sheaves, the arrangement and proportions of my inventionreduce the overall length of the block to a minimum without sacrificingstrength and capacity.

It is a further feature of my invention to provide for reducing theoverall thickness of the block, 1. e., the distance between andincluding the cheeks 2 thereof. To this end, the plurality of sheaves 9on one of the pins, as for example, sheave pin 1, are formed with thehubs l0 thereof having substantial projection beyond one face only ofthe sheaves as shown. Hence, by disposing said sheaves in pairs withtheir projecting hub portions inwardly toward each other, an interveningspace I2 is provided to accommodate a sheave on the other sheave pin 8in the close nesting overlapping relation hereinbefore described.

By making the projection of the hub portion beyond the adjacent face ofits sheave not more than one-half the width between faces of the intervening sheave on the other pin, the assembled nested sheaves willhave minimum overall dimension for each three sheaves, two sheaves beinglocated on one pin, and an intervening sheave on the other pin. Theamount of compactness thus obtained provides for the reduction of theoverall thickness of the block employing a plurality of sheaves on onepin thereof, and at least one sheave on the other pin.

While the illustrated traveling block has four sheaves on the upper pin1 and two sheaves on the lower pin 8, thereby presenting a multipleblock well balanced and capable of the usual type of reeving employedfor hoisting, variations in the number of sheaves may be employed withinthe scope of the invention.

A most important feature of the foregoing arrangement and proportion ofparts resides in the ability to maintain the necessary bearing structureand capacity in the traveling block of reduced size so produced. Thus,by extending the sheave hubs at one side only, it is possible tomaintain the same axial bearing dimension as employed in former blockshaving sheaves provided With symmetrical hubs, and by forming the cheeks2 and pins 1, 8 of adequate strength, the block of my invention istherefore capable of withstanding heavy loads in practice. And due tothe reduced overall dimension thereof, said block has materialadvantages in well drilling operations, particularly in connection withthe travel of such a block in the upper confines of a derrick.

The sheaves 9 on the lower pin 8 are shown in the same form as to theirhubs H] as those on pin 1, since it is advisable from the standpoint ofmanufacture to make all the sheaves alike. However, the hubs of thesheaves on said pin 8 may be otherwise formed if desired.

By providing pins 1 and 8 of adequate strength and providing propersupport therefor through the construction of the cheeks 2, I am'enabledto provide a traveling block of the character stated without the use ofspacers or plates intervening between the sheaves and extendinglongitudinally throughout the block, such as have been employed in theconstruction of former traveling blocks. As designed, my improvedblock'is greatly simplified and can be manufactured and assembled moreeconomically than such former blocks.

Various changes and modifications are contemplated within the scope ofthe following claims.

I claim:

1. In a traveling block of the character described, apair of parallelstationary sheave pins,

a pair of sheaves mounted on one of the pins and'a third sheave on theother pin nesting between the pair of sheaves, the pins being spacedapart a sufficient distance for substantial overlapping of the nestedsheaves, said pair of sheaves each having a bearing hub projectingbeyond one face only of its sheave, the projecting hubs of said pair ofsheaves being disposed toward each otherand each having an axialdimension not exceeding one-half of the 'width between the faces of thethird sheave, whereby the nested sheaves have minimum'overall axialdimension, bearings extending axially throughout said hubs rotatablysupporting the pair of sheaves on their pin and a bearing rotatablysupporting the third sheave on its pin.

2. In a traveling block of the character described, a pair of parallelstationary sheave pins, a plurality of sheaves mounted on each pin, thesheaves on one pin being arranged in pairs and single sheaves on theother pin nesting between the sheaves of the said pairs, the pins beingspaced apart a sufiicient distance for substantial overlapping of thenested sheaves, the

sheaves of the pairs each having a bearing hub projecting beyond oneface only of its sheave, the

projecting hubs of the sheaves of the pairs being disposedtoward eachother and each having an axial dimension not exceeding one-half of thewidth between thefaces of the respective single sheaves, the pairs ofsheaves being disposed adjacent each other on their pin, whereby theplurality'of nested sheaves have minimum overall axial dimension,bearings extending axially throughout 's'aid hubs 'rotat'ably supportingthe pairs of sheaves on their pin, and bearings rotatably supportingthe'sfn'gle sheaves on their pin.

3.'In'a traveling block of the character described, a pair of parallelstationaryshe'ave'pins, a pair of sheaves mounted on one of the pins anda third sheave'on the other pin nesting between the pair 'of' sheaves,all of said sheaves'being of uniform diameter, said pair of'sheaves eachhaving 'a'be'aring hub projecting beyond one face only of 'itsshe'ave,the projecting hubs of said pair 'of sheavesbe'ing disposed toward eachother and each having an axial dimension not exceeding one-half of thewidth between the faces of the third sheave, wherebythe nested sheaveshave minimum overall axial dimension, bearings extendingaxiallythroughout'said hubs rotatabl'yfsupporting the pair of sheaves'o'n'their pin, a bearing rotatabl'y supporting the third sheave on itspin,'the sheave pins being "sp'a'c'ed a distance substantially'e'qualto'the overallradiu's' of the sheaves plus the'radius of thehubsthereof.

AUGUST R. MAIER.

